Truth in Platitudes
by Kalira69
Summary: Naruto stepped in with no thought to his own safety to protect theirs; now Sakura and Sasuke are left to try and get him out of the trap in his own mind. (Written for Sakura Month, Day 1)


Written for Day 1 of Sakura Month: Eyes Are The Windows Of The Soul

Also actually the first thing I wrote for the Event, surprisingly. . . I won't have something for every day this month, but I've got quite a few, with an assortment of different gen themes and ships!

* * *

"Do you think he's still in there?"

Sakura twitched and grit her teeth, then carefully eased back a little of the chakra pouring into her hands with the sudden snap of temper. She looked up. "Sasuke, if you don't _shut up_ while I am _trying to work_. . ." she growled, fingers curling towards a fist.

Sasuke scowled at her. "Helping." he ground out.

"Unless you have some _actual_ help. . ." Sakura said pointedly, lowering her attention back to Naruto's face.

Sasuke was blessedly silent after that, at least for the moment, and Sakura drew a deep breath, gathering chakra in her fingertips again. The head was murderously tricky - and even more so for the _mind_ , rather than sheer physical damage, which wouldn't be causing her such a problem either, not with Naruto. She wished faintly for Ino, back in Konoha, then pushed it away.

No use wishing for things that couldn't be attained in time to be any help. They were days from Konoha and if Sakura hadn't managed to pull Naruto back to himself by the time they could get Ino - or any of the Yamanaka - to him irreparable damage was likely.

". . .the eyes are the windows of the soul." Sasuke said, his voice unexpectedly soft.

Sakura's brows drew together as she slowly resurfaced from her careful inspection of Naruto's brain and chakra pathways. "Yes? I don't see how platitudes will help us find him and pull him out of his own head back to us." she half-snapped, brushing one fingertip by the corner of a bright red, slit-pupilled eye. It continued to stare flatly past or _through_ her without focus.

Sasuke growled - it was rather less impressive than the ones that had been coming from Naruto, before he went down almost an hour ago and stopped doing anything at all - and Sakura tried to ignore him for another few breaths before giving in and looking up.

His dark eyes flashed and whirled ruby-red, the six-lobed black flowers in them completing one full revolution before fading back into onyx. Sakura blinked, then narrowed her eyes.

"Can you bring me with you if you go inside?" Sakura asked, and Sasuke tensed. Sakura glared, daring him to refute it. Sasuke's mouth tightened, but he nodded shallowly.

"If I can do it at all, then yes." Sasuke said rather than protest.

Sakura looked back at Naruto, mouth twisting, and brushed a hand over his brow. The chakra within him was almost still - not at all what it should have been, even had the battle they had just fought actually been enough to drain his insane chakra reserves, which it had not. Not gone, not calm, just . . . still.

"Do it." Sakura said, shifting nearer to one of Naruto's shoulders and looking up at Sasuke.

Sasuke's jaw set, his sullen face going a little blanker even as he settled astride Naruto's waist and cupped his whisker-marked cheeks, eyes whirling brilliant crimson as he brought up his Mangekyo Sharingan again. Sakura tangled their fingers together around Naruto's face and rested her brow gently against Sasuke's, not blocking his sightline. Her chakra gem pulsed between them, though she knew only she felt it. She tugged gently at it, _quiet, quiet, not yet_ and waited.

She twitched when she finally felt the pull, but mastered her reaction and guided her chakra through Sasuke's, twining intimately. It guided his almost brute force push-pull into a more careful, directed pulse, and Sakura's lips curled slightly.

Then they tumbled onto what proved to be soft, dew-laden grass, and Sakura wound up sprawled gracelessly across Sasuke's chest, which was entirely too well-muscled to be quite comfortable to rest on. She braced one hand on the grass and the other on Sasuke's shoulder and pushed herself up, sliding back onto her knees and looking around warily.

Sasuke hopped up into a low crouch the instant Sakura's weight was no longer holding him back and completed his own sweep of the area, eyes whirling. They settled and faded into black a moment later - there was nothing anywhere near.

Sakura frowned, rising to her feet and extending her senses. The world around them felt . . . peaceful, but slightly wrong.

"Did you mess up?" Sakura asked, planting one fist on her hip and looking at Sasuke as he straightened as well. He scowled, eyes narrowing.

"I did _not_." Sasuke snapped. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "It's _not_ a genjutsu," he said shortly, shaking his head, spiky hair ruffled by the light breeze, "we're in Naruto's head. I can't control too much of what's here or risk damaging something. More than it no doubt already is." he added dryly.

Sakura opened her mouth, then closed it, swallowing.

"Sharingan isn't anything like the Yamanaka Clan jutsu." Sasuke said, turning and surveying the surrounding area, then picking a direction that looked to Sakura like any other and beginning to walk. Sakura hesitated - it rankled a little - but followed him without question. It was no doubt better to stay together.

She kept her senses alert, but felt almost nothing - the peaceful breeze, the lush plants, a quiet ripple of water somewhere nearby . . . and every so often, a flash of something that felt fiery and huge . . . but was so faint and fleeting that Sakura couldn't even be sure it was there. It put her on edge, and she still felt no sign of Naruto himself, which worried her.

She paused. "This is training ground-"

"I know." Sasuke said shortly, turning and leading the way between two trees bearing heavy scars on their trunks at about the level of his elbows. Or they were _now_. Once they would have been roughly shoulder height - the perfect target height for drills.

Sakura glared at his back but followed anyway. "Where are you-" she broke off as a flicker of orange through the bushes ahead caught her eye. She leapt neatly over them and for a moment had a layered vision of Naruto as he had been at twelve and as he was now when a tousled blonde head and a streak of bright orange came into view.

Then it resolved into Naruto as he should be - as he _was_ , in the real world where Sakura suddenly realised she and Sasuke were now likely slumped around his body - launching a kick with a focused expression. Sakura took a breath, relaxing a little.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out stridently just as a warm hand came to rest on her shoulder.

She glanced up at Sasuke, but he was looking at Naruto, his Sharingan whirling slowly as he took Naruto in. She looked back as Naruto turned away from the post he had been pitting himself against, taking a couple of slow steps towards them.

"Sakura-chan? Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, looking vaguely spacey and surprised.

"You- You-" Sakura pounced on him, dragging him in with one arm folding around his neck and shoulders. He flailed a little as she nearly dragged him off his feet. "You _idiot_!"

"Sasuke!" Naruto flailed his arms and Sasuke swatted the back of his head, then stepped a little closer. Naruto yelped at the blow, pouting.

Sakura laughed softly, squeezing Naruto tighter and grabbing Sasuke in as well. Neither of them struggled against her embrace, though Sasuke huffed, the sound thick with irritation. His arm was curled around Naruto's back just as firmly, however, and he bowed his head to rest his cheek against Naruto's head, his jaw brushing Sakura's hair.

"What's with you two?" Naruto asked, though he made no move to leave where he had his face burrowed between Sakura's temple and Sasuke's neck.

Sakura shifted, glancing up at Sasuke. She wasn't surprised when his expression only twitched, dark eyes meeting hers and making it clear explanations were up to her. Some things never changed, she thought wryly, drawing back just a little.

"What do you remember before we met you here?" Sakura asked, stroking Naruto's face from temple to jaw. Naruto frowned, looking around, then down at his own hands.

"Uh. . . Something . . . exploded?" Naruto hazarded, not looking very certain.

Sakura fought a frown.

" _You_ exploded." Sasuke said dryly, and she pinched him. Sasuke strangled off a surprised sound into an awkward yip and Sakura smothered a laugh.

"What?" Naruto's eyes widened, then he frowned. "You two were. . ."

Sakura passed a hand over her eyes. "We were pinned down," she admitted; she and Sasuke had been unpicking a trap, using Sasuke's eyes and her fine control in concert, but they had been wound up in the chakra threads and unable to move, "you stepped in front of us before the attack could land."

"And then stepped backwards and right into the trap jutsu array we were halfway through disarming." Sasuke added, stiff with worry.

Sakura brushed a hand over his forearm calmingly.

"Oh." Naruto said, paling a little. " _Oh._ " He looked between them hurriedly, dragging them both in closer. "You're all right!"

Sakura opened her mouth, then closed it, biting back a little distressed sound.

"Yes, you _idiot_." Sasuke snapped, curling an arm around Sakura's shoulders, steadying her as she caught her breath.

"Then it worked." Naruto said, heavy with relief, and clung a little tighter. "And hey, we're _all_ fine, shut up." he added without too much heat, shoving his shoulder into Sasuke roughly.

"Actually," Sakura said, "you _weren't_."

"We're in _your head_ ," Sasuke clarified, "because your brain just _stopped_ \- assuming there's much going on up there to begin with," he snorted, "when you stepped into the trap array and triggered it alongside a chakra explosion."

"In my head?" Naruto cocked his head.

"I couldn't get you back from the outside," Sakura explained, biting her lip, "so . . . we came in after you." She gestured to Sasuke.

"Oh! I can get out then." Naruto said brightly, and Sakura looked at Sasuke, who stared back blankly before turning his attention to Naruto. "That's easy!"

"What."

Naruto grinned. "Get yourselves out and I'll snap out of this right away, dattebayo!" he said confidently.

Sakura sighed, rubbing her face, relief warring with exasperation.

Sasuke shifted tightly. "Can't." he said when they both looked at him expectantly. Sakura blinked.

"What?" The distress Sakura had expected before showed on Naruto's face _now_. "But-"

"We're _in your head_ , where the trap is activated." Sasuke said sharply. " _We're_ stuck too. Until _you're_ out of it."

"Oh." Naruto looked slightly smaller. "Why would you-"

"Naruto! Can you snap it or not?" Sakura asked, interrupting him.

"I can." Naruto assured her, smiling only a little less broadly.

"Then please do so." Sakura instructed, stepping to Sasuke's side and linking their arms. "So we can _all_ get out of here and back to reality."

"I- Right." Naruto nodded firmly, looking them both over carefully, then folded himself to the ground and closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. Everything went still around them after a few moments, and Sakura wound her arm a little tighter around Sasuke's, watching. He shifted to make it easier, warm and solid at her side.

A low roar and the fiery chakra she had felt only in flashes burst out, Naruto's face twisted, and-

The world dissolved and Sakura opened her eyes on a pulsing ache shooting up her back from the awkward position she had frozen in. She was slumped against Sasuke, their tangled hands braced on the grass on either side of Naruto's neck.

Naruto stirred, then bolted upright, sending them both sideways onto the ground which was much harder here than it had been in Naruto's slightly twisted memory of their old training ground. Sakura groaned and let herself sprawl a little, though she could feel Sasuke immediately straightening and rising to his feet.

"Sasuke! Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried, and Sakura sighed in relief. He sounded _fine_. Just like himself. Boundless energy and all. "You're okay?" he asked fretfully.

"Hn." Sasuke replied. Sakura raised a hand and waved it vaguely.

"Why would you risk something like that?" Naruto cried, voice shaded with distress, and Sakura opened her eyes and frowned. She tilted her head to look at him and narrowed them again. Said the _idiot_ who had _stepped into an unknown jutsu_ to shield them. "You could have been _really_ trapped! You could have been hurt!"

Sakura sighed, rolling forwards and rising smoothly to her feet as Naruto continued to speak, waving his hands a little wildly and nearly vibrating. "I was trying to _protect_ you and you could have-" he broke off, eyes wide.

"Yes. Well." Sasuke cleared his throat, flushing slightly and looking away.

Sakura shook her head fondly at _both_ of her morons and then pounced on Naruto, tumbling them both into Sasuke - he saw her coming and grinned, twisting as they fell to knock Sasuke off his feet as they went down. Sakura giggled, hugging Naruto around the ribs and tucking her head under his chin.

"Because we love you, idiot." Sakura said softly, tightening her grip on him - gently.

Naruto made a stuttering sound that made Sakura smile even as a pang tugged at her heart - no matter how long it had been, it seemed like Naruto always stumbled over the idea that someone could just _love him_ , and say it so easily. Sasuke shifted under them both, arms twining around their shoulders and hugging them close as he made a sound a little more like a rough growl.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Sasuke was still not very good at words unless he was driven to the very extremes of emotion, but they had both become pretty talented - by necessity, at times - at interpreting grouchy Uchiha. He loved them too, even if you had to be a little sharper to hear him 'say' it most of the time.

"But I. . ." Naruto said, his voice weak, drawing back a little and sitting up.

"We're all fine, even if you almost _weren't_." Sakura said firmly as she and Sasuke followed suit, covering her shiver of anxiety at consequences that had so narrowly been averted. They _had_ been averted and could be put behind her without further consideration.

"I would do anything to keep you safe." Naruto said, one hand smoothing up Sakura's side in a firm, gentle stroke. He swallowed roughly. "I would have been okay with that, knowing you were both all right. . ."

Sasuke bowed his head, resting his brow against Naruto's and nudging their noses together gently. "And you think we'd do any less for you?" he said softly, one arm wrapping around Naruto's back. "Tch."

Sakura stretched up and kissed Naruto's shocked cheek, meeting Sasuke's eyes with a smile. "Come on, boys." she said, clearing her throat and rising to her feet, breaking their embrace. Sasuke shook himself and rose as well, while Naruto just watched them from the ground. "Let's head back to the village."


End file.
